FROM NEWS SERVICE REPORTS
It will be another year of challenge after challenge for the Eastern Washington University men’s basketball team when the Eagles embark upon their 2018-19 non-conference schedule.
The schedule was announced July 30 by EWU, and includes game times for all home games — subject to change for television considerations. Eastern also still needs to fill one game against a non-NCAA Division I opponent, tentatively scheduled for Dec. 21.
Eastern will play 11 games — four at home and seven on the road — prior to the start of Big Sky Conference play on Dec. 29. Three of the road games will be at Pac-12 Conference foes, as well as a cross-country trip to play EWU’s season-opener at Syracuse on Nov. 6.
“It’s a challenge, but we’ll be ready for tip-off on Nov. 6,” second-year head coach Shantay Legans said in a news release. “We’ll be tested on the road again, and our four games at home will be challenging as well. We’re looking forward to the non-conference portion of our schedule preparing us for our league schedule and ultimately the Big Sky Tournament in March.”
Eastern’s conference schedule was announced on July 24. The Big Sky Conference Championship, which will take place in Boise, Idaho, for the next three years, is scheduled for March 11-16, 2019 at CenturyLink Arena.
The Eagles finished the 2017-18 season with a 20-15 record in their 35th season as a member of NCAA Division I after finishing 13-5 in the league during their 31st season as a member of the Big Sky. Eastern made its fourth-straight national postseason appearance when the team competed in the 2018 College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
Eastern will play Green Bay on Nov. 16 and either the University of Missouri-Kansas City or Morehead State on Nov. 17, respectively, as part of a sub-regional of the 2K Classic benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project. The Eagles will also host powerhouse South Dakota State on Dec. 18, and a non-Division I opponent yet to be determined on Dec. 21.
When the Eagles open the season on Nov. 6, they’ll face a Syracuse team coming off a 23-14 record and appearance in the “Sweet 16” of the NCAA Tournament. Under veteran head coach Jim Boeheim, the Orange beat Arizona State (60-56), TCU (57-52) and Michigan State (55-53) before bowing to Duke (69-65). It will be EWU’s first-ever meeting against Syracuse of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Eastern follows that by playing at Oregon on Nov. 9, which along with Syracuse, are also games played as part of the 2K Classic. After the 2K Classic sub-regional at Reese Court, the Eagles play their next five games on the road — Washington, Seattle, North Dakota State and Stanford. Last season, Eastern upset Stanford 81-67 on Nov. 14.
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